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My Story

In 1992, at my heaviest weight of 90 kilograms, I decided to break every diet rule in the book – I stopped dieting. As a result, I lost 30 kilograms! By not dieting, I was able to stop overeating once and for all, and I have kept the weight off to this day.

People I meet assume I have never had food or weight issues because of the way I look now, but the truth is I spent over 15 years of my life dieting. When I was just 13 years old, a well meaning uncle mentioned that I was putting on weight and should start watching what I ate and go on a diet. I had just hit puberty, so of course my body was changing shape! But those comments got me started on my very first diet – one of many to follow, and by the time I was 14, I had memorised the calorie value of every food on the market. I’d diligently count calories, limit my food severely and would manage to lose 2-3 kilograms, but then hunger would get the better of me and I’d be hoeing into whatever I could get my hands on. I don’t think I ever actually managed to lose any weight for longer than a week or two. Every attempt I made ended up in a cycle of weight loss and weight regain, and each time I would gain a little extra.

I knew my weight was completely related to my relationship with food. As a teenager, my “large appetite” was a bit of a family joke, but after I was married I really began to pile on the weight. Always unhappy with the way I looked and felt, I would vow to start start a new diet every Monday. Every Sunday evening I’d be determined to start afresh with a new diet in the morning, but by Tuesday night I would usually be gorging on greasy chips and takeaways.

BEFORE

The turning point came just after I turned 28 in 1992. I jumped on some coin-operated scales at the airport and the dial registered a horrifying 90 kilograms. I was heavier than I was at 9 months pregnant! Realising this meant I was around 30 kilograms over my ideal weight I vowed to myself that very moment that I would stop making any more excuses. It was time to make some serious changes – not just for a week or two – but for life.

I jumped off the scales and at that very same time I jumped off the diet treadmill. Eight months later, I’d lost 30 kilograms and my husband, Paul had lost 20 kilograms.

AFTER

To this day I am still 30 kilograms lighter. I feel confident, I can wear any clothes I like, and I am proud of my body! Now I wake up in the morning and think about what I am going to do, not what I am going to eat or what diet I should start.

Losing the weight took longer than it would have with a quick-fix, but the result has been permanent. It wasn’t easy at first. The “diet mentality” was ingrained in my head for some time and it took quite a while to rid myself of it, but eventually I learnt that I could trust my body to let me know when I was satisfied and stop eating before I felt uncomfortably full. I was able to teach myself to understand and feel what true physical hunger felt like again, and respond to it by eating, and stop eating when I feel satisfied (not full). I realised that as soon as I felt true physical hunger again, I could respond by eating again. I now also realise that I had often eaten for reasons other than to satisfy true physical hunger. I now recognise that I often ate when I felt tired, bored, happy, excited, frustrated or lonely, and whenever I was procrastinating.

I had to learn to recognise and deal with these situations and emotions, and to satisfy my needs in other ways rather than with food.

I will never go back to my old ways. I have easily kept my weight off. No dieting, no counting, calories, points, or carbs, and with no deprivation. I eat with total trust in myself, and no feelings of guilt.

I’ve done it, and you can too.

I have authored three best-selling healthy eating books, and I have appeared numerous times on national television and radio stations. Our story and work has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines over the years.

I am so grateful that dieting didn’t worked for me long term. Otherwise I wouldn’t have sourced out a better way! I wouldn’t be able to eat whatever I want and effortlessly maintain my slimmest weight since high school!

I am deeply passionate about helping women to eliminate the dieting mentality, end emotional and habitual overeating, to find peace with food, and discover how to lose weight once and for all – without dieting.